Today when Jammu & Kashmir is at the cross roads of post partition history of Indian Sub continent, unfortunately claimants of late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s political philosophy take sadistic pleasure in being it’s critics obviously for taking electoral mileages in the upcoming DDC elections in Jammu & Kashmir. The latest critic of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s political philosophy which revolves around special status and regional integration of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state is none else than the Jammu & Kashmir Apni Party Chief Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari. Fact remains that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi controlled BJP and Separatist leaders including primarily the likes of Syed Ali Shah Geelani Mirwaiz Molvi Omar Farooq challenge the political philosophy of late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah for last several decades and as such have right to be it’s critics also but the leaders of regional mainstream parties of Kashmir including the likes of Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti Sajad Ghani Lone and Altaf Bukhari harping on Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s core political philosophy over Jammu & Kashmir cease the moral right to be it’s critics. As Altaf Bukhari commits himself to fight for restoration of special status of Jammu & Kashmir the way Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Sajad Lone commit themselves to fight for the restoration of special status and statehood, the only marked difference in the stands of Altaf Bukhari and others including signatories of Gupkar declaration is that Altaf Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party has not filed any petition against last year’s August 5 decisions of the central government but the signatories of Gupkar declaration have thrown up legal challenges to the last year’s August 5 decisions in the supreme court of the country. As regards the issue of participation in DDC elections, right to participate in DDC elections is as good a constitutional right of all the regional mainstream parties as is the right to challenge August 5 decisions of the central government.
Obviously it seems that Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has preferred to participate in DDC elections just to deny BJP and it’s collaborators any opportunity to claim public support for the last year’s August 5 decisions. Let people hope that Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) remains steadfast in pursing the agenda set by it for the restoration of the special status to statehood to Jammu & Kashmir.
The signatories of Gupkar declaration would have ceased the moral right to participate in the elections if they would have launched the alliance for any agenda in violation of basic parameters of Indian constitution. Irrefutable fact is that denial of a walkover from Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) provoked Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party to challenge the morality of late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s in returning to mainstream politics after 22 years way back in 1975 as the party did not dare to utter even a single word about the role of political defectors who choose power over political identity of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state and downgraded the position of Sadr e Riyasat to Governor and Prime Minister to Chief Ministers after taking over the reigns of power in the erstwhile state in early seventies. While the irrefutable fact is that the decision of late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah to return to mainstream politics without restoration of pre-1953 position was his third and last political blunder, equally undeniable reality is also the role of those who choose power over the political identity of the people of Jammu & Kashmir and downgraded the special position of Jammu & Kashmir to an irreversible extent. Obviously DDC elections could also be used as a route to introduce BJP the way state assembly elections were used to introduce Congress in Jammu & Kashmir from 1954-1975 only for eroding the special status and rendering the erstwhile Sheik Abdullah led plebiscite Front politically irrelevant till the positions of Sadr e Reyasat and Prime Minister were downgraded to those of Governor and Chief Minister. Obviously it seems that Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) has preferred to participate in DDC elections just to deny BJP and it’s collaborators any opportunity to claim public support for the last year’s August 5 decisions. Let people hope that Peoples’ Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) remains steadfast in pursing the agenda set by it for the restoration of the special status to statehood to Jammu & Kashmir.
